The Bike
Indicator Junior Technology
project. Mikaela (seen
here with little sister Kim) was
the youngest participant in the Fair, competing with students at least
four years older than her!
An
indicator is a light that flashes at the back of my bicycle so people
will know that I am turning a corner. It has one light on either side.
The lights are programmed from a chip to flash on and off. A speaker
will beep when you turn on the switch so you know when you have them
on. The switches are on the handlebars so you only need to move your
thumb. I thought bicycles would need indicators to show which way you
were turning when you were biking on the road. I think it is safer
having indicators than biking with only one arm on your handlebars
while you put your other arm out to show which way you are going to
turn. To turn left, you would press the left switch and which would
make the left light flash that means if you press the right button the
right light will go on.
Method
By programming a PICAXE-08 chip using a
computer, I made the lights
flash on and off at a speed I thought was best. Dad added some of the
code so that it knew when a button was pushed and to turn it off I put
the chip into a circuit and wired the circuit to two batteries. I
drilled the holes into the box and the pipe with help from my daddy. I
put the lights in the hole in the pipe and one hole in the box for the
switch and to another holes for the sockets. We started testing it and
tried it out on my bike to see where to put the box, the pipe and the
switches.
One good thing about the chip was I could
change the flashing speed
really easy using the computer. I think the lights need to have a
reflective dish behind them so it is easier to see when they are
flashing. Next, I would make front indicators too.
Acknowledgments
Thank you Mummy for helping me with the
writing and thank you Daddy for
helping me with the project.
A
PRIZE WINNING PROJECT!
One
Senior Citizen asked if he could put the indicator on his Mobility
Scooter!
The
heart of the cicuit is a PICAXE-08 chip. Mikaela programmed the chip
herself to get it to flash the indicators.
Tucked
in behind the rear reflector is the circuit box and its beeper